Territorial Twist in Korea-Japan Olympic Soccer Match

Park Jong-woo holds a sign reading “Dokdo is our territory” after his team’s victory over Japan.

It’s a slogan that South Koreans—presidents included–rally around at home, but Park Jong-woo is now clear it doesn’t impress the Olympic organizers.

Park was part of the South Korean Olympic soccer squad that arrived back in Seoul on Sunday after their bronze-medal winning performance—one of the highlights of a successful London Games for South Korea. Park may not be getting his gong, however, after he held aloft a sign that read “Dokdo is our territory” following the third-place play-off win against Japan on Friday.

The sign, one of several in the crowd, was passed to Park by a spectator after the end of the match. Dokdo refers to the Liancourt Rocks, which are about halfway between Korea and Japan. Seoul controls the islets but Tokyo also claims ownership.

The Korean Olympic Committee sought to play down the incident, saying in a statement that Park picked up the sign “in the heat of the moment” and noting that it wasn’t a pre-meditated act. Nonetheless, the action violated the Olympic Charter, which bans political statements by athletes.

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